Welcome back to the second part of my review. This covers my hands down favorite portion of Bree as a region. I spent a significant amount of time here throughout my questing.
North Bree and Beyond
Aesthetics: These are some of the most fun in the game. The Old Forrest is very unnerving and gets the mysterious feel just right. Nestled in the center of it all is Tom Bombadil’s house. It really achieves the feeling of a safe haven out-of-the-way of danger. It has the timeless look to it that is very unique among homes in Middle Earth. The Barrow Downs looks like someone took the description almost too seriously. The design is one of unparalleled horror because yo don’t know what is coming at you through the mists.
The rest of North Bree is fairly cut and dry. More settlements similar to South Bree and plenty of Orc camps.
Quest Quality: I think that this has the better portion of the quests in Bree. My favorites are any of the series that take place in the Barrow Downs. The history and explanation of it all is very well done and cleverly crafted.
Enemies: They break down at this point into three types. Undead in the Barrows, Orc kind in the North Bree Fields, and various associated canine like animals who are a constant annoyance. These are probably the best areas to grind any early deeds relating to orc or the undead.
Easy to miss locations: One of the most rewarding quests is fairly well hidden. In the books there is one sentence mentioned in a conversation in the first few chapter. The dev’s took that one sentence and turned it into one of the best inside quests ever. You take the quest at Hengstacer’s Farm and it takes you to the North Moors near the North Downs. There you find to be true what sounded like someone had smoked a little much pipeweed.
Also in the Southern Barrow Downs there is a portal cave that sends you to the Vale of Andrath. It sits to the left of several large Barrows and can be a quick route to Bree if you prefer not to fight all the mobs again.
Personal Story: I had been completing a quest in the Barrows as part of the story and I needed to kill a boss in one of the Barrows. Once I entered it was clear that someone was rep farming. Dead bodies everywhere. I began to run around trying to find the mob I needed. After about ten minutes of frustration I was about ready to stop. Suddenly, the boss spawned right on top of my head. A full-blown spider boss on my head and his buddies began to re-spawn as well. In the end I had to beat the boss and his friends and survived with about ten morale left.
Conclusion: As a whole Bree is very good for a region. It is very versatile and a fun to play region. It is clearly designed to mainstream everyone and merge the story but it does it in a pleasant way. There are many fun inside things for the book junkies and overall it is a decent region. Of the two sub areas in Bree, North Bree by far is my favorite. Most of it come down to preference but I just like the styles of quest in the later part of Bree.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for The Lonelands
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